status of city on 9 December 2004. It was the only freguesia in Almada which has not suffered any changes with the administrative reform of 2013. Geography Physical geography Situated on the occidental coast of the Peninsula of Setúbal, the territory is the result of ocean receding, covering an area of 10.18 km2 between the water and main escarpment. The space is one large beach resulting from progressive decline from the east to the sea. Its coastal extent represents the largest contiguous beach in Portugal, with an expanse of approximately 30 kilometres, from the left margin of the Tagus River to the estuary of Albufeira. Popular in the summer with tourists and local visitors, the beaches have suffered from erosion in recent years; several levels of Portuguese government have taken steps to reduce these patterns, but the erosion has continued at several of the beaches located closest to the mouth of the Tagus. Ecoregions/Protected areas Portugal is bisected by geological and geomorphological landscapes of important interest, both for its scientific and natural appeal, such as the Costa da Caparica Fossil Cliff Protected Landscape (), a prehistoric beach landscape near Terras da Costa, that consist of intricately carved cliffs and erosional deposits, intersected by ravines and clifftops covered in vegetation. Its relative proximity to urban development and sprawl, coupled with progressive deterioration resulted in the 22 May 1984 decree-law 168/84 that constituted the Paisagem Protegida with the hope of preserving the geomorphological characteristics and the natural communities that existed within the territory, promoting a balance between the biology and landscape. On 24 November 2008, in a Council of Ministers resolution (178/2008) provided a mechanism for safeguarding the resources and natural value, establishing a specific use and management strategy for the area. Although the Arriba Fóssil is the dominant scenic element of the protected area (PPAFCC), within its limits is the Reserva Botânica da Mata Nacional dos Medos (Botanical Reserve of the National Game Preserve of Medos), also referred to as Pinhal do Rei (the King's Pineforest), on which King John V of Portugal ordered the seeding of lands to reduce dune encroachment and deforestation. Also under the management of the PPAFCC, is the Mata das Dunas da Costa da Caparica e Trafaria (Dunes Game Preserve of Costa da Caprica and Trafaria), at the base of the beach; a area of forest, the Mata das Dunas is a natural forest still maintained.